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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23059543">Carnal Faith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicxan/pseuds/Nicxan'>Nicxan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost (Sweden Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftercare, Biting, Blood Kink, Demon True Forms, Fluff and Smut, Gender-neutral Reader, Other, Ritual Sex, Rough Sex, Scratching</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:08:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23059543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicxan/pseuds/Nicxan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Your Papa calls upon you for aid for a ritual he plans on performing. It goes farther than either of you expect it to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Papa Emeritus I/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Carnal Faith</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, I will fill this whole pairing tag myself if I have to, if this is my niche I accept it.<br/>Tried to make it as gender-neutral as possible!</p><p>Thanks to CaptainAddict and Thrinari for looking over this one! I appreciate it. ; v;</p><p>Also quick thanks to <a href="https://ask-the-clergy-bc.tumblr.com/post/190852669348/favourite-kinks-for-the-papas-and-copia">ask-the-clergy-bc</a> for inspiring me with that super-steamy third 'kink' for Papa I. That straight-up made me want to write this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You hadn’t seen this wing of the church before. Granted, you couldn’t see it well because of the hood you had over your head, but still. Every time you tried to glance around, one of the void ghouls escorting you gave you a sharp look.<br/>
<br/>
You had no idea that a blank face could be so <em> angry</em>. It always got you right back in line.<br/>
<br/>
But you were so curious. From what little you were able to glean, you saw that the walls were a darker color. They were a different pattern. The stained glass you were used to seeing all around you was nearly nonexistent here. It seemed so dark. Dreary.<br/>
<br/>
You hugged yourself for comfort to try and fight the growing unease within you. The ghouls wouldn’t notice that, at least. The pitch black cloak you were told to wear covered your entire body, arms included. Hell, you couldn’t even see your feet when you looked down. So you’d at least be able to cling to yourself while trembling somewhat. They wouldn’t notice.<br/>
<br/>
If only they would tell you more of what was going on.<br/>
<br/>
They had come to you in the dead of night -- you knew that was going to happen, but two ghouls suddenly entering your room was still very startling. They had thrown the cloak at you, told you to strip bare, and then don said cloak. Then, they said that they’d be waiting outside. You really had no choice but to comply. After all, while you didn’t know the exact reason for all this, you know that Papa Emeritus I had asked this favor of you.<br/>
<br/>
Any attempt to get more information resulted in hisses and clicks from the ghouls. After the first three questions you tried you ask, you just gave up. They weren’t going to say a word to you. All you could do was walk with them, head down, silent as a mouse. Hopefully, your Papa would make things much clearer to you once you got to ... wherever you were going.<br/>
<br/>
One of the ghouls stepped towards a door on your right side. It pulled out an older key -- the other one hissed <em> again </em> when they noticed you looking, so you promptly bowed your head. The heavy ‘creak’ you heard had to have been the door opening, right? Had to have been. They ushered you through the new path and you followed their silent command without a second thought.<br/>
<br/>
It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dark. There were fewer lights here; the few actual torches on the wall didn’t offer much. The flames had started to die down. ‘<em>Must have been lit a while ago. Is someone else here?</em>’<br/>
<br/>
“This way.” It had been the first time one of the ghouls spoke and it made you nearly jump out of your skin. Regardless, you followed them when they turned, careful to not look too much at where you were going. The most you could see without tilting your head was that everything looked like dark gray stone.<br/>
<br/>
A ghoul took your shoulder -- you didn’t expect the touch to be so gentle after how rough they had been so far -- and held you back. You couldn’t help but look up at them, brow furrowed in confusion.<br/>
<br/>
One of them walked into the brighter-lit room just ahead. While they clearly tried to be quiet, the silence of this area and the echoing made it quite easy to eavesdrop:<br/>
<br/>
“They’re here.”<br/>
<br/>
“Excellent,” came the voice of your Papa. Your heart raced just hearing it. “Are they ...?”<br/>
<br/>
“They’re wearing the cloak and nothing else, yes. Just as the ritual demands.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you. Bring them in.”<br/>
<br/>
The ghoul that was still with you guided you forwards. You just let it happen; really, you didn’t even try to hide the visible relief on your face. Papa being here meant that you were safe; he’d never let anything happen to you. Even when the ghoul basically shoved you into the room, you still felt far more comfortable than you did before. You saw Papa wave his hand out of the corner of your eye; the ghouls departed without a word.<br/>
<br/>
Finally, you could look around without being hissed at.<br/>
<br/>
The room itself didn’t seem too elaborate; the only sources of light were a couple of more well-lit torches. It was enough to let you see some sort of sigil drawn onto the stone altar before you. You didn’t recognize who it was for -- embarrassing to admit, but still. You started to take a step forward --<br/>
<br/>
“Be careful. Watch your feet.”<br/>
<br/>
Papa had said that just after you noticed the black candles at your feet. <em> Lit </em> . You jumped back and shifted to walk around them instead. He smiled at this, and your heart fluttered.<br/>
<br/>
It was strange not to see him in his mitre. He normally had it on for rituals, but his head was bare tonight. He still had the face paint on, but it looked a little more muted than usual. Maybe he just didn’t need as much since he wasn’t on the stage? The most shocking thing was his attire: Papa only had plain black robes on. Nothing like his usual outfit at all, really.<br/>
<br/>
‘<em>Most likely not an official thing, then,</em>’ you thought to yourself. He always went all-out for church-sanctioned rituals and sacrifices; it’s part of why you loved him. His devotion couldn’t be matched by anyone else. You smiled to yourself as you took a few more steps forward; it was then you saw the folded letter in his hand.<br/>
<br/>
You hoped it was for you, but something told you it wasn’t. Letters he sent to you normally didn’t have a faint blood stain on the bottom of it. Your eyes flickered over to his bare hand and couldn’t help but wince at the sight of a slight scab on his index finger.<br/>
<br/>
“Good evening.” Papa nodded at you and looked away immediately after. If he wasn’t in the middle of preparing for some sort of ritual, you’d be more upset, but it was typical of him in these settings. You tried to peer over his shoulder to see what he was up to. All you could really see was ... wait, was he picking up one of the candles?<br/>
<br/>
“Papa, careful --!”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s all right.” While his tenderness would usually calm you down, it didn’t exactly work this time. It wasn’t every day you saw your lover burn a letter he was holding with candle flame. He turned back to face you, watching curiously as the paper was consumed by the fires. You wanted to rush over and blow it out before it burned his fingers, but ... it didn’t burn him. It simply just lingered on his fingertips for a few moments, then faded out. The ashes of the letter fell onto the stone floor; Papa shook off the remainder of said ashes from his hand.<br/>
<br/>
How did he <em> do </em> that?<br/>
<br/>
“See? Perfectly safe.”<br/>
<br/>
“You could have warned me,” you muttered in embarrassment. You bowed your head and glanced away, praying that the hood of the cloak hid your sheepish expression. “I hadn’t seen you do that before.”<br/>
<br/>
“Now you have.” Papa gently brushed his hand against your cheek, very careful to keep the candle far away from you. He only turned to set it back down once he saw you smile. You had to strain to hear when he started speaking again. “And ... thank you for coming, my dear.”<br/>
<br/>
“I was about to ask, actually ...” You hesitated, nervous, but forced yourself to continue. “I don’t mind doing favors, but can you tell me what this one is about? You didn’t tell me that much, just that the ghouls would come and get me.”<br/>
<br/>
You restrained yourself from complaining about how they came in the middle of the night and forced yourself to just listen to him instead.<br/>
<br/>
“Of course I can.” Papa stepped forward, touching your shoulder ever so gently as he always did. The voice he used to soothe you could end wars, you were sure of it; it was so soft and sweet, yet had that soft rumble that made you feel so safe. You didn’t notice you had gotten lost in his soft touch and his warm words until a few moments later.<br/>
<br/>
“... issue with some older ritual,” Papa muttered. “I cannot find the information I seek. The passages offer no guidance that I do not know, nor has my research given me anything useful.” He absentmindedly rubbed your shoulder as he spoke -- you didn’t mind this one bit. “Lilith can help with knowledge, so I seek her blessing and aid. While I can do most of it myself, I figured ... well.”<br/>
<br/>
“Figured what?” you asked in a hushed whisper. You didn’t want to speak over him or drown out his voice in any way.<br/>
<br/>
“Some who summon Lilith exclusively seek her succubi or incubi.” Oh, hell. You knew where this was going. “I figured an offering with sexual energy would be sufficient. I would just have to do a few things beforehand. Which I’ve mostly done. All I need to do now is light the jasmine incense.”<br/>
<br/>
That explained the little table behind the altar and the unlit stick of incense in the holder. There was a little bottle there, too, but you couldn’t exactly see what it was under all the dim lights. You nodded mutely to show you were still listening.<br/>
<br/>
“But, of course, it’s much better with someone who can help provide that energy. While I can do it myself, I could offer more this way,” Papa said. “And who better to ask than you?” He gently pushed your hood back and ran a hand through your hair tenderly. You melted into the gesture, sighing contentedly.<br/>
<br/>
“I can do it.” You had planned on saying yes already, sure. But now that you knew what it was for, it made it that much easier to do so. You trusted Papa -- he’d never given you a reason not to, even if he was frustratingly vague sometimes. “What do I need to do?”<br/>
<br/>
“Not too much,” he responded with a smile. “I have handled most of the preparations already. Please disrobe, lay flat on the altar for me, and prepare yourself.”<br/>
<br/>
It was difficult to disobey him. It almost felt like autopilot; if Papa gave you an order like this, you obeyed without question. Case in point, your cloak was already crumpled onto the floor and you were climbing onto the stone slab in front of you. You hissed at how cold it was and how some of the ... paint -- you hoped it was red paint, you really did -- stuck onto your skin.<br/>
<br/>
But Papa didn’t seem to care about that much at all. He only watched you with a certain glint in his eye, one you knew very well. It wasn’t hard to see how his shoulders rose and fell, even with his robes being as baggy as they were. You couldn’t hide your cheeky little grin as you shifted on the slab. It may or may not have been intentional to spread your legs apart just a bit too far.<br/>
<br/>
Papa’s shaky little breath told you that he had seen it. You glowed with pride. But as soon as he shut his eyes, you knew he pretended you weren’t there. He had to focus, after all. You took the opportunity to reach behind you and grab the small bottle of lube on the table to prepare yourself as instructed.<br/>
<br/>
“Lilith, Mother of Demons, my Lady -- I call upon you this evening to ask for your aid!” Papa threw out his arms, tilting up his head. “Heed me, hear me, assist me in my plight!”<br/>
<br/>
You’d only heard him like this during his sermons. Papa was always so soft-spoken and gentle with you. This? This was something else. You didn’t want to miss any more; after you covered yourself, you set the lube back on the table. Your eyes flickered back to Papa, and you watched in awe as he continued to chant and call out to Lilith.<br/>
<br/>
Papa’s movements and gestures were controlled, subtle -- but <em> powerful</em>. You lost sight of him when he walked towards the back of the room; you tried to crane your neck to see him, but had no luck. What was he doing? What step was next?<br/>
<br/>
Papa was quieter now, muttering something under his breath. There was a moment of silence, and then the strong smell of jasmine filled the room. You managed to bite your tongue and resist the urge to crinkle your nose; while you didn’t mind the incense, this was a rather strong one. But you laid flat on the cold stone, waited patiently, even as the blood -- Satan alive you wished it was <em> paint </em> -- dried on you.<br/>
<br/>
“I ask for knowledge with these offerings of wine, jasmine, flesh, and energy -- please guide me to where I must go, Lilith.” Wine? Where was the wine? Maybe he did that before you got here? You looked around to try and see where it might have been with no luck. Besides, you didn’t exactly have a lot of time to think of it.<br/>
<br/>
Having Papa remove his robes in front of you was a rare sight. He normally kept something on during your nights together: shirt, gloves, sometimes even his vestments. Tonight, he had nothing under his robes, just like you. You swallowed nervously, letting out a shaky breath right after.<br/>
<br/>
Papa was older, sure. It never really mattered -- he still looked absolutely incredible to you. Others would call him bony. Others would say that he looked frail without his vestments, that someone could breathe on him and he’d topple over. These people didn’t know Papa like you did -- they had no idea what he was capable of.<br/>
<br/>
Normally, he looked upon you gently, a soft smile on his face.<br/>
<br/>
Tonight, Papa had a near-predatory look in his eye. You didn’t even pretend to deny how damn hot that was.<br/>
<br/>
“My dear,” he purred. “It is time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, Papa,” you whispered shakily. You shifted to clutch the sides of the slab to keep yourself as still as possible and took another deep breath. Times like these were always a treat, but with this set-up ... ‘<em>I don’t know what to expect.</em>’<br/>
<br/>
You blinked and Papa was on top of you.<br/>
<br/>
You hadn’t expected him to pin you down and trap you on the altar, but you weren’t exactly complaining. Nor were you complaining when he kissed you as roughly as he did. You yelped in shock, muffled, but quickly melted into it. You kissed him back eagerly, almost desperately, moaning loudly when he bit down on your lower lip.<br/>
<br/>
The near-feral growl you got in response made you shiver uncontrollably. Or maybe it was the cold blood on your back. You didn’t care either way: it felt fucking amazing. You fumbled for a moment with your hands, trying to shake the blood off of them before grabbing your Papa to pull him down.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>No.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
It was a simple command -- but the way he growled it out made it impossible to hold back a whimper. You obeyed, placing your blood-soaked hands on Papa’s bare shoulders. It felt so damn warm, so damn intoxicating to feel his bare skin underneath your own. You whined when he pulled back, but gasped when you felt his teeth sink into your neck.<br/>
<br/>
In the meantime, his hands wandered your body. He caressed your sides, trailed one hand down your chest, stroked your cheek while snarling and biting -- oh <em> fuck</em>, he scratched down your torso, fuck that felt so damn good --<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck, <em> Papa </em> --!”<br/>
<br/>
Papa didn’t usually move this fast; usually, he would intentionally draw out your sessions as long as possible, leave you a whimpering mess for him before he would let you come. The build-up was always so intense. Papa always knew just how to make you cry out for him, just like you did now.<br/>
<br/>
His rumble of approval nearly sent you into a frenzy. Also strange, sure, but you didn’t really care about it that much. Not when he was right there, not when his hard cock was pressing up against you, not when he kept biting and nipping at you. You were sure those marks were going to show tomorrow.<br/>
<br/>
Just the thought of looking at yourself in the mirror the next day, brushing your fingers over the hickeys, recalling what was going on right now -- you groaned much louder when Papa bit down near your collarbone and pulled him down to keep him far closer. You ground your knee up between Papa’s legs just so you could hear him snarl again. It worked, and him digging his nails into your skin more was a perfect reward. The pleasure and pain mixed so seamlessly; you’re not sure where one ended and the other began.<br/>
<br/>
Papa sat up, shifting so you were still trapped beneath him. His eyes blazed with lust, but you couldn’t stare for too long. Your eyes wandered his body, taking in the sight of the blood on him. Blood that wasn’t there before. You fought the urge to check your chest for any blood -- your hands were already covered anyways.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t clean it off,” Papa growled out. You tilted your head to look up at him, breathless, a shaky grin on your face. Your heart raced when he reached down to gently touch your chest. A brief surge of pain shot through you and you hissed quietly, clutching at the stone underneath you. He had really done a number on you, hadn’t he? Papa didn’t linger on your scratch marks; he brushed against them lightly, then began to trace shapes on other parts of your body. You could feel him draw lines, circles, swoops ...<br/>
<br/>
You could tell that he started to draw sigils on your naked body. The look in his eye was focused. Calculated. Even with that, his breaths were uneven as he continued to draw the symbols with your own blood. You whimpered underneath his strokes and the way he grazed his fingers against your bare skin.<br/>
<br/>
You needed more. Each little thing he did sent a sweet fire through you, one only he could put out. Yet Papa took his sweet time with the drawing -- you knew it was so he could be precise, but holy fucking shit, when was he going to get on with it? The amused expression he had told you that he was going to continue to take it slow for this section.<br/>
<br/>
Much to your annoyance.<br/>
<br/>
You opened your mouth to beg, to plead with him to just go a bit lower, scratch down more, something, anything --<br/>
<br/>
“Perfection,” Papa whispered in reverence. “Absolute perfection.” You sighed happily, basking in his praise. He kissed your forehead tenderly, giving you a chance to take a deep breath and relax. He always smelled faintly of frankincense, even through the sharp tang of blood. But before you could reciprocate, he pulled away. That was bad enough, but he actually climbed off of you too. You shivered from the sudden chill and tilted your head up to shoot him an indignant look.<br/>
<br/>
“Patience.” Papa chuckled as he walked behind you again. “If you wish, I could have you here all night. I am quite sure Lilith would not mind.”<br/>
<br/>
“She wouldn’t?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, not at all. Your energy counts too, my dear. I could just stay here, letting you look, but not touch. Or I could just touch you enough to keep you desperate, but not give you any release. She can feed off of that just as much.”<br/>
<br/>
You bit your lip at the mere idea of Papa keeping you here in this room, completely at his mercy, him marking your body more and more in that feral frenzy he showed earlier, pounding into you while snarling in your ear ... you squirmed slightly, not even bothering trying to fight the rush of arousal that surged through you at the imagery.<br/>
<br/>
Papa circled back around to the front of the room. You looked him up and down, drinking in the sight of him. He had that bottle from the table behind you -- oh. Lube.<br/>
<br/>
... <em> Oh</em>.<br/>
<br/>
You watched as Papa poured just a bit onto his fingers. The way he looked at you<br/>
<br/>
A part of you couldn’t help but think ‘already?’ The other part of you, the one who came undone begging so many times for him to just <em> fuck you already </em> was absolutely overjoyed. You shifted on the stone, whimpering softly in need. Papa raised an eyebrow at this, but you noticed that faint twitch of a smile.<br/>
<br/>
“I thought you would not mind,” he said with amusement. “I know how desperate you get.”<br/>
<br/>
“Can’t help it,” you breathed out.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, I know. <em> Trust </em> me.” Papa didn’t bother to put the lube back on the table; he just threw it aside. It clattered against the stone, but you didn’t mind that much. All you could focus on was him.<br/>
<br/>
You shivered with anticipation when Papa walked towards you. You couldn’t choose where to look -- between his legs, at his erection, how slick it now looked with the lube on it? The blood-covered chest? The carnal look he had, the way he devoured you with his eyes? It was all so much. You took a deep breath and shut your eyes to steady yourself, nearly choking on the smell of jasmine as you did so. Was that all the incense?<br/>
<br/>
Papa didn’t give you time to think about it; your eyes flew open when you felt him climb on top of you again. His bare hands tenderly stroked your thighs before he parted your legs to expose you even more. You blushed as he examined you up and down, just as you had done to him. Then, he smiled.<br/>
<br/>
“You have prepared yourself well,” he murmured. “Very good.” Papa teased your entrance with a lone finger, making you gasp and pant in need. You tried to arch your hips up for more, but he used his free hand to gently force you back down. He ignored your whining and simply continued to gently push it inside of you.<br/>
<br/>
“And how does that feel?” he asked. While he tried to sound gentle -- you could tell -- there was a raspy edge to his voice that made you shiver. He was clearly holding back.<br/>
<br/>
“Wonderful.”<br/>
<br/>
And you meant it. Papa growled softly as he inserted his finger in further. He still went slow, but you felt his hand trembling. Blood dripped from his chest, but you hardly noticed when it landed on you.<br/>
<br/>
There were other, much more pleasant things to focus on.<br/>
<br/>
You moaned quietly when Papa pushed his finger in and out of you -- then moaned louder when he added another. Then, one more. You’re not sure when the pain faded entirely and when the pleasure amplified, but you didn’t really care much. It felt too damn good to think. You tried to grind against his fingers, just for a little more pressure, a bit -- just a bit --<br/>
<br/>
“Papa! Please!” Your outburst made him pause, fingers halfway in. You tried to shift your body for more, but when you did, he pulled them out further.<br/>
<br/>
“Please what?” Papa purred. He snarled before finger fucking you again -- this time much harder and faster than before. You tilted your head back, only vaguely aware of how cold the stone was beneath you; all you could focus on was the feeling of his digits, how they curled, moved -- “What do you want?”<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Fuck me!</em>”<br/>
<br/>
While you had begged for it, you didn’t expect Papa to pull his fingers out of you so quickly. Even though it left you feeling empty, just imagining him fully inside of you kept you quiet and pliant. You stared up at your Papa lovingly as he positioned himself over you, his cock rubbing up against your entrance ever so teasingly. You bit your lip to stifle another pathetic little sound.<br/>
<br/>
It always felt so damn good when Papa pushed inside of you -- that slow teasing, that build-up, and the way it paid off always left you a mess for the rest of the night. But things felt ... different this time. More intense.<br/>
<br/>
Normally, it took a while to build up and get that intoxicating sense of pleasure. Papa always reveled in that -- he’d start so slow and end with pounding into you so furiously that you couldn’t even think straight. This time, though? Even trying to form a coherent thought was impossible. You could hardly even breathe; whatever presence was here now, it almost suffocated you.<br/>
<br/>
‘<em>Lilith?</em>’<br/>
<br/>
Papa  was mostly focused on you, you could tell -- even though your fog, you heard his snarling and you cried out when he pulled on your hair as he thrust into you relentlessly. It felt as wonderful as ever, and all you wanted to do was completely lose yourself to it. Yet, a part of him seemed detached from the moment. His eyes were glazed over, and while you saw his lips move, you couldn’t hear what he was saying. After he moved to bite your shoulder, you decided you didn’t care anymore.<br/>
<br/>
That’s when you let go.<br/>
<br/>
Everything blended with each other: the pain, the pleasure, the sheer ecstasy of your Papa’s touches and thrusts, and the downright feral movements he made just to push you closer and closer to the edge. His claws dug into your skin so he could steady himself with each powerful push. His fangs glistened with your blood. The inhuman hiss in your ear made you shiver --<br/>
<br/>
Fuck, it was all too much.<br/>
<br/>
“Papa, I’m --” You tried to warn him that you were close, but you weren’t even sure that he could hear you over everything else. Besides, he finished before you. A guttural snarl, one unlike any you had heard before, echoed throughout the room. Papa pushed deeper inside of you, biting down just a bit harder. You felt him throb inside of you, the twitching, the pulsing -- it was nearly enough to make you black out.<br/>
<br/>
You’re not quite sure when <em> exactly </em> you came; this whole tryst had left you breathless from the get-go. The white hot release just felt like another extension of your bliss. You clung to Papa tighter, keeping him close as you came completely undone beneath him. Eventually, you ran out of strength, and flopped back against the blood-covered stone.<br/>
<br/>
Both of you didn’t say anything for a while. The presence you felt had left by now, leaving the room almost feeling empty. Not entirely, though. Papa was still on top of you, catching his breath and running his claws through your hair gently. The moment had passed -- the familiar gentleness you loved him so much for had come back.<br/>
<br/>
You reached up to stroke Papa’s cheek and didn’t even hesitate when you saw the slight differences of his features. His ears were pointier now and the smeared makeup didn’t hide the way his mouth seemed to be just a bit too large for his face. You could only see the tips of his fangs now, still covered in blood.<br/>
<br/>
“Papa,” you whispered in reverence. Papa let out a content rumbling sound as he leaned into your touch.<br/>
<br/>
“My dear,” Papa replied softly. His voice sounded deeper than usual, almost unnaturally so. He blinked when he heard it, then moved away from your hand in a panic. “Wait --”<br/>
<br/>
“No, it’s -- hold on, it’s all right.” You cupped his cheeks with your hands, idly stroking them with your thumb. You hadn’t meant to sound so panicked; it took self-control to get your voice back to a soothing tone, especially considering how much your shoulders ached now. “I don’t mind.”<br/>
<br/>
“You do not ...?”<br/>
<br/>
“No,” you assured him. You tried to sit up, but that wasn’t so easy. You couldn’t help but cry out in pain this time; all you could do was lie back down.<br/>
<br/>
The shocked look on Papa’s face told you that he hadn’t meant to get that rough. Him pulling out of you didn’t hurt, but him getting up and rushing away from you certainly left you feeling cold, even though he didn’t wander far.<br/>
<br/>
You saw him crouch over the robes you both had discarded during the ritual and heard the telltale sound of torn fabric. Papa was by your side in a flash, helping you sit up straight. The blood stuck onto you, making you shiver even though he wrapped you up in the scraps from the robe.<br/>
<br/>
“I normally keep myself under control,” Papa said solemnly as he wrapped the makeshift bandages. “I pride myself on it ... but if I had known that it would have been this rough, I would have asked someone else.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t <em> mind </em> --”<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I do.</em>” Papa frowned deeply. You glanced up at him, just to see if he had reverted back to looking more human. He hadn’t. His ears weren’t quite long enough to droop, but you saw them twitch. You’d have to learn what that meant. “I do not want you hurt. No ritual is more important than your well-being.”<br/>
<br/>
“But did it work, at least?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes. Lilith offered the knowledge I needed.” Papa sounded more relieved than happy. Maybe it was because you still had the energy to worry about the ritual working? It might just be because he was worried it wouldn’t work. You had no idea, but at least you had managed to help him.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s great!”<br/>
<br/>
“It will be better once you have recovered.”<br/>
<br/>
You lifted your arm, wincing at the pain, and remained as still as possible while he wrapped the area around your shoulder. Papa’s hands were steady, and the heat they provided helped you relax. He didn’t dare say anything, and you didn’t want to say anything either. He never liked having his concentration broken.<br/>
<br/>
It wasn’t easy to not look at him, so you didn’t try. Now and again, you’d glance up at him just to take in the more demonic sight of him. How hard was this to hide? Did it exhaust him to keep up ... whatever he did to hide this? Has anyone else aside from his brothers seen it before?<br/>
<br/>
“There,” he eventually said. “And how do you feel now?”<br/>
<br/>
“A lot better.” You couldn’t deny that. The cuts and scrapes Papa gave you weren’t stinging nearly as much now, though you couldn’t help but wonder what the doctor would say when you went to get this officially checked. Band-aids wouldn’t exactly fix this. Maybe you’d ask Papa to escort you.<br/>
<br/>
“Papa?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes?” Papa gently took your hands and helped you to your feet. A flash of concern crossed his face every single time you winced or hissed, but you were standing now. You nearly stumbled into him, but managed to keep your balance. “What is it?”<br/>
<br/>
You blurted out the first question that came to mind rather than the one you wanted to ask. “Why did you keep all this from me?” You then promptly cursed yourself for asking the wrong thing, and then cursed yourself further for the way Papa seemed to droop.<br/>
<br/>
“I am not used to being allowed to show this,” he replied forlornly. He gripped your hands tighter, bowing his head as he did so. “We do not want to scare humans. Spreading our word is too important. It is easier if we present as devout humans, rather than the demons we are.”<br/>
<br/>
You squeezed his hands gently, a silent cue for him to continue.<br/>
<br/>
“The last one I wanted to scare is you,” he added. He rubbed your knuckles idly with his thumbs, being careful to not nick you. “I am a confident man, my dear. But knowing that I could have frightened you was too much. You were never supposed to see me like this. I did not expect you to take it so well.”<br/>
<br/>
“I mean, I love you. Of course I would.” It was the most obvious thing in the world to you, really. And the fact that Papa looked so surprised -- had you ever seen him surprised before? -- almost broke your heart. “It’s still you. It’s not like you’re a different person.”<br/>
<br/>
Papa’s eyes softened. Your heart melted at the mere sight of it. He pulled you close, but held you gingerly. All you wanted was a kiss, but you weren’t going to push it right now. Besides, he felt so much warmer than usual; all you wanted to do was bask in it. You shut your eyes and rest your head against him, content to stay this close to him for as long as he’d allow.<br/>
<br/>
You didn’t stay like this long enough, but you knew Papa had to pull away eventually. You didn’t fight it when he did -- you only looked up at him with a fond smile.<br/>
<br/>
“We must go, my dear. The sun will rise soon.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh. Sure.”<br/>
<br/>
Papa pet your hair one last time, then walked to the front of the room to grab the robes -- wait.<br/>
<br/>
“Um, Papa?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes?” He glanced over back at you.<br/>
<br/>
“You ripped up our clothes.”<br/>
<br/>
Papa looked at you skeptically, back at the shredded pile of black fabric, and then to the ground. You could see him rub his temples from where you were and refrained from any snarky remarks. He snapped his fingers, and the ghouls that escorted you down poked their heads in. Fuck, were they right in front of the door the whole time? You really hoped not.<br/>
<br/>
“Please get us a fresh set of robes. Both for me and my partner.”<br/>
<br/>
The ghouls bowed their heads and disappeared. Papa let out a heavy sigh before turning back to you. He stepped around the blood on the ground and wrapped an arm around you, steering you away from the stone slab and the ritual’s supplies.<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose we will have to wait here until they get back,” Papa said with a shrug. “They should not take too long.” He sat on the cold floor, gently tugging you down with him. He shifted so you did not sit on the floor, but rather on his lap. You didn’t complain -- you just settled in against his warm frame, curling up and hugging him as tightly as you could muster.<br/>
<br/>
“I can wait, I think.” Papa chuckled at your cheeky response and resumed petting your hair, resting his head on top of yours.</p>
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